Sony Moves Everquest to Free-to-Play Model

Sony Online Entertainment said Friday that its classic MMORPG, Everquest, is transitioning to a free-to-play model.

Sony Online Entertainment said Friday that its classic MMORPG, Everquest, is transitioning to a free-to-play model.

Everquest is making the transition for its 13-year-old, original version. Everquest II made the transition to a free-to-play model last November, following an "Everquest II Extended" free-to-play version that ran on separate servers.

Users will have three Everquest payment tiers to choose from: free, a $5 per month "silver" package, and a $14.99 per month gold tier. Gamers who are considering shifting from a paid membership to a free character should check out the matrix of pricing plans, as SOE has placed somewhat severe limitations on the free tier, although not for levels and content.

For example, free players are restricted to just the first spell rank, as are silver members. Both of those tiers may also not use prestige items, and can only play as a Human, Erudite, Barbarian, and Gnome race, and Warrior, Cleric, Wizard, and Rogue. Although both tiers can play the base game plus 17 expansions, they can only play to a maximum of level 90, as levels 91 to 95 require the separate purchase of the Veil of Alaris expansion.

Free-to-play has become a popular model for the MMO industry, with games like Lord of the Rings Online, DC Universe Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and others all choosing that route. There have been complaints, however, that some of the free MMOs still force players to buy enough content and virtual items to actually progress.

"Through 18 successful expansions and countless other game updates, EverQuest has forged its place in history amongst the MMO and online game elite," said Dave Georgeson, director of development of the EverQuest franchise, in a statement. "With one of the most loyal player communities in the industry, we believe that after 13 years we need to provide them with a wide variety of ways to play the game on their terms. Players can now choose to play in a way that suits them best and continue to expand their game experience until the next milestone birthday!"

This month, Everquest celebrates its 13-year anniversary, and the game will feature special quests and updates designed to improve gameplay and facilitate the transition. The quests include one that allows a player to play as some of the iconic villains from Everquest, replay previous anniversary missions, and a massive raid mission. A Hero's Journey book provides achievements to complete for each level, and SOE has added improvements to navigation, zone pathing, and maps.

Sony is also developing the next chapter in the Everquest universe, which the company has publicly referred to as Everquest Next.

Mark Hachman Mark joined ExtremeTech in 2001 as the news editor, after rival CMP/United Media decided at the time that online news did not make sense in the new millennium.
Mark stumbled into his career after discovering that writing the great American novel did not pay a monthly salary, and that his other possible career choice, physics, required a degree of mathematical prowess that he sorely lacked.
Mark talked his way into a freelance assignment at CMP’s Electronic Buyers’ News, in 1995, where he wrote the...
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